How to Give a Speech at an Engagement Party

Whether you're the future best man or the father of the bride, there's a good chance you'll be asked to give a speech at the engagement party. You may feel a little uncomfortable and nervous at the prospect, but once you get your bearings, you may find the experience to be rewarding and unforgettable.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Give a Speech at an Engagement Party

1. Prepare your speech well in advance. Having everything thought out in advance will make your speech more fluid. It will also help you organize your thoughts, make sure you've left nothing out and help you eliminate inappropriate or questionable jokes and comments.

2. Start off by thanking the guests for coming to the engagement party. You should also welcome and acknowledge family members from both sides.

3. Thank everyone who helped out with the engagement party, including family, friends, caterers and servers. This should only take a minute or two, but will go a long way in making people feel appreciated and respected.

4. Switch perspective by bringing up a touching or funny anecdote about the couple. When you know the bride better than the groom, it's fine to make the focus of the story on her, or vice versa. The important thing is to make the speech both personal and entertaining.

5. Give the couple your best wishes for the future. Again, this can be done in a humorous way, or it can be simple, straightforward and touching. How you deliver your speech will depend a great deal on your usual personality.

6. Ask everyone to join you in a toast to the soon-to-be newlyweds. You can raise your glass and give a toast to the couple's continued happiness and good health.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure your speech is in line by having a family member or close friend listen to you practice it a few times.

• While your toast can be both touching and funny, don't resort to sarcasm or embarrassing stories. All this will do is create confusion, anger and possibly hard feelings. Even if your personality is normally sarcastic, try to keep it in check while you give the speech.

• Consider whether any of your comments could be construed as something offensive to either family members or partygoers. Since the engagement party is designed to bring family and friends together, the last thing you want to do is create an uproar with comments you didn't think through.